Since the beginning of the Trump administration, one Democratic congresswoman has become particularly well-known for speaking her mind about Donald Trump. Indeed, the times that Maxine Waters clapped back at Trump show that the congresswoman certainly isn't afraid to make her voice heard.
Waters has represented California's 43rd district since 2013. She also previously represented two other districts in the state and, altogether, has served in Congress since 1991. Since the advent of the Trump administration, she has become renowned for her calls to impeach the president — and for her searing clap backs to Trump's criticisms of her.
Indeed, many of Waters' followers have taken to calling her "Auntie Maxine" as a means of expressing their fondness for her and her willingness to be very direct in her criticism of the Trump administration. As the Los Angeles Times described in an April 2017 article, many young black activists in particular find Waters very relatable. As Rashad Robinson, the head of New York's Color of Change, a civil rights group, told the paper:
Maxine Waters has given us the viral videos to go along with our rants ... People are shaking their heads when she talks, and they are saying, ‘Thank God someone said that.’ I think for many young black folks, they have that sort of auntie or matriarch in their family that sort of says it like it is.
It is clear that Waters has garnered the respect of many by speaking her truth. This list highlights just some of the many times that the congresswoman has taken Trump to task, both in response to his critiques of her or in response to actions he has taken.
"I Wouldn't Waste My Time"
Waters took to Twitter ahead of Trump's inauguration to share with her followers why she had no interest in attending the event. In her tweet from Jan. 15, 2017, Waters characterized the prospect of attendance as a"waste of time."
"I Don't Honor Him, I Don't Respect Him"
In January 2017, Waters revealed on MSNBC that she would not be attending then-president-elect Trump's inauguration. In explaining her decision, Waters did not hold back, asserting:
After I discovered who Trump is in the way he conducted himself, I was never going to go to the inauguration ... I don’t like the way he has misled people, the way he has lied. I don’t like the way he’s disparaged folks ... I don’t honor him, I don’t respect him and I don’t want to be involved with him.
"We've Got To Stop His A**"
During a fundraiser in April 2017, Waters bluntly shared her feelings on Trump with attendees at a bookstore in Washington, D.C. As The Root reported, during her remarks at the event, Waters simply asserted: "We've got to stop his a**."
"Women Across The Country Can Relate"
In June 2017, news emerged that former FBI Director James Comey reportedly once told the Attorney General that he did not want to be alone with Trump because he considered it inappropriate.
Waters offered her own cutting commentary on the issue, taking to Twitter on June 7, 2017 to critique the president.
On The Risks Of Trump's Presidency For Black Americans
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump asked African American voters to consider supporting him, saying at a Florida rally in August 2016, "What do you have to lose by trying something new, like Trump?”
In August 2017, around six months into Trump's presidency, Waters pointedly reflected on what black Americans stood to lose following Trump's election.
"I Think He's The Most Deplorable Person I've Ever Met"
In August 2017, Waters appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss the special counsel's Russia investigation and to reflect on Trump's appointment of a then-new chief of staff, John Kelly. In discussing the two topics, Waters did not mince words, telling host Joe Scarborough:
... As a matter of fact, I have said over and over again, I think he's the most deplorable person I've ever met in my life ... He is a flawed man with no real values and no real appreciation or understanding for government or public policy ... No, I have no hopes that anybody is going to be able to contain him or that he's going to change.
"Oprah Is Richer Than You Are"
Earlier this year, Trump criticized television personality Oprah Winfrey on Twitter after she moderated a politically-themed panel discussion on 60 Minutes. In his tweet from February 2018, Trump characterized Winfrey as "very insecure."
In response, Waters leapt to Winfrey's defense, clapping back at Trump and finding it ironic that Trump had portrayed Winfrey as insecure.
An "Expert At Name-Calling"
In March 2018, the president referred to Waters as a "low IQ individual" during a speech at a rally, according to CNN. The president's comment came after Waters had called for Trump's impeachment.
In response to Trump's comments, Waters told MSNBC's Joy Reid on March 11 that she believes Trump is pointedly attacking women and calling them names. As Waters put it:
He is expert at name-calling ... I understand that, in addition to continuing his name-calling of me, referring to my IQ and calling me 'low IQ,' he continued to attack Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi, maybe made some reference to Oprah Winfrey and on and on and on. It seems that he's identifying and picking up more and more women that he's attacking. Again, I expected this, though.
"He Comes For Me, I'm Coming For Him"
During the aforementioned March 2018 interview on MSNBC, Waters also made sure that Trump knew she was not intimidated by him after he insulted her IQ at a rally. Referring to the president as "Con man Don," Waters asserted:
Con man Don is gonna keep it up … He comes for me, I’m coming for him ... I’m not intimidated by him. And so he can keep calling names. I’ve got plenty for him. In fact, everybody knows he’s a con man. He’s been a con man all of his life.
"This Man ... Has Been Called Stupid, Ignorant, Unhinged ... "
Waters also condemned Trump's characterization of her IQ during a speech she gave at the Human Rights Campaign's annual dinner in March 2017. As the Washington Times reported, Waters hinted that she found it ironic that Trump was criticizing her, saying:
Don’t forget, this man who’s disparaging me has been called stupid, ignorant, uninformed, unhinged and a moron by his own staff and appointee ... And so he had the nerve to attack me.
"Please Resign"
During an interview at TIME magazine's 100 Gala in April 2018, Waters responded bluntly when asked if she had any advice for President Trump.
Please resign ... So that I won’t have to keep up this fight of having you impeached because I don't think you deserve to be there. Just get out.
"Damn This President!"
As Newsweek reported, when meeting with an organized labor union in Los Angeles in May 2018, Waters bluntly condemned Trump, characterizing him as a threat to labor unions.
... Whether it’s issues about whether or not our government and elected officials are going to support the right to organize and support the right to bargain, it has not been Republicans, it is always Democrats. We’ve been there for you. We’re gonna stay there for you. And damn this president! We’re not going to let him destroy organized labor.
"Trump Is The One Who Is Creating Lies"
According to The Hill, In June 2018, Trump accused Waters of encouraging people to harm those who work for his administration. As CNN reported, Waters had recently given a speech asserting that Trump administration officials were going to be harassed in public following the implementation of the administration's zero tolerance immigration policy. As Waters asserted a rally in Los Angeles,
Let's make sure we show up wherever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere. We've got to get the children connected to their parents ...
Waters took issue with Trump characterizing her remarks as a call for physical violence, saying to reporters on June 25, 2018 (as reported by The Hill),
I believe in peaceful protest. It is guaranteed to you in a democracy ... Trump is the one who is creating lies, trying to have people believe that I talked about harming people. There’s nowhere in my statement any time, any place that we talked about harm ... Protest is about peaceful resistance to the kind of actions that we are experiencing from this president.
Overall, it is very apparent that Congresswoman Waters has never hesitated to make her feelings about Trump known. You can bet that she will continually seek to hold Trump accountable for his actions throughout the remainder of his presidency.
